Display-integrated image forming apparatus

ABSTRACT

In one embodiment of the present invention, a display apparatus that has a display screen visible from a back face or a side face of an image forming apparatus is disposed on at least one side face of an image forming apparatus case.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) on JapanesePatent Application No. 2008-048514 filed in Japan on Feb. 28, 2008, theentire contents of which are herein incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND ART

The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus such as amultifunction peripheral or digital copier, and more specificallyrelates to a display-integrated image forming apparatus in which alarge-format display apparatus is integrated with an image formingapparatus.

Recently, many image forming apparatuses such as multifunctionperipherals and digital copiers are being installed in mass retailstores or the like such as convenience stores and supermarkets, and suchimage forming apparatuses are mainly used, for example, when a user thatuses the store takes a copy of an original.

Incidentally, in recent convenience stores, the portion of the storethat faces the street (walkway) is entirely encased in glass, andproducts are displayed such that people walking along the walkway canknow the state of products inside the store at a glance. For example, asshown in FIG. 20, in an ordinary arrangement pattern, a wide space-sideglass window 501 and a narrow space side glass window 502 are providedwith an entrance 500 between them, a bookshelf 510 is placed along thewide space-side glass window 501, an image forming apparatus A is placedalong the narrow space-side glass window 502, and an unshown registercounter is disposed behind the image forming apparatus A within thestore. In such an arrangement configuration, conventionally, paperadvertisements 505 such as posters are directly applied, facing outsideof the store, to the walkway-side glass windows 501 and 502, so thatvarious publicity activity to pedestrians is carried out. Also,publicity activity to customers inside of the store is carried out byposting paper advertisements in a slight amount of open space of adisplay shelf within the store.

With this sort of publicity activity, it is difficult to frequentlychange advertisements, so there is the problem that detailed publicityactivity cannot be performed in which, for example, advertising targetedto businessmen is carried out during a time span in which manybusinessmen pass by, and advertising targeted to housewives or studentsis carried out during a time span in the daytime in which there are manyhousewives or students.

Also, the technique in which the walkway-side of the store is entirelyencased in glass and advertisements are posted on that glass face isalso adopted by real estate companies and the like, so that various realestate advertisements are posted all over the glass face wall and thusprovided to passers-by. However, in this case as well, it is necessaryfor employees to manually remove information of real estate that isunder a rental contract or purchase contract, and post new real estateinformation or the like, so there is the problem that removal, posting,or the like is frequently forgotten, and therefore the providedinformation may not be the newest information.

On the other hand, with the present state of technology, as describedabove, the image forming apparatus placed in each store is mainly usedonly when a user of the store takes a copy of an original, and is rarelyused for other purposes. Consequently, there have been proposals for away of improving the usage efficiency of such image forming apparatuses(for example, see JP 2002-329139A and JP 2002-156873A).

JP 2002-329139A describes an advertisement information processing systemin which a wall face display and a printer are connected to each otherand placed in a store, and when a print button that corresponds toadvertisement information that has been displayed in the wall facedisplay is pressed, it is possible to print the advertisementinformation for which that print button was pressed with the printer.

Also, JP 2002-156873A describes an image processing apparatus in whichan image processing apparatus that is a copy machine and a cash registerare connected by a LAN, and when capturing a poster image original thathas been placed on a platen of the copier, the poster image is displayedin an operation screen of the copier, and is displayed in a displayapparatus of the cash register via the LAN.

As described above, there have been proposals to increase advertisingpublicity functionality using an image forming apparatus, by connectingthe image forming apparatus to a display apparatus, and printingadvertising information displayed in the display apparatus with theimage forming apparatus, or displaying a poster image that has beencaptured with the image forming apparatus in an operation screen of theimage forming apparatus or on a display apparatus of a cash register.

However, with the technology described in JP 2002-329139A, it isnecessary to install a display along the entire walkway-side wall face,and connect this display to a printer installed within the store with acommunications cable, so much installation work is needed, andinstallation in each store is necessary, so there is the problem thatinstallation work is very complicated. Also, there is the problem thatafter installation is performed once, it is not possible to simplychange the layout according to circumstances.

Further, in the technology described in JP 2002-156873A, althoughadvertising information can be displayed in an operation screen of animage forming apparatus or a display screen of a cash register, this isa publicity advertisement to customers inside the store, and not apublicity advertisement to people walking along the walkway in front ofthe store. Also, there is the problem that by only displayingadvertising information on an operation screen of an image formingapparatus or a display screen of a cash register, even most customersinside the store do not notice the advertising information, and thus anadequate publicity effect is not obtained.

Additionally, the image forming apparatus and a large screen (forexample, such as 50 inches) display apparatus connected by a cable areinstalled in stores, but in a store such as a convenience store or asupermarket, the question of how much selling area to secure is anissue, and because placement of two large devices in this manner resultsin a reduction in selling area, this approach has not been widelyadopted. Also, with the present state of technology, it may not bepossible to secure an installation location in a small store, and so thesystem is not necessarily advantageous to the store. For example, theouter dimensions of a 52V-inch liquid crystal display (Sharp PN-525) areheight 1254 mm, width 742 mm, and depth 92 mm, and weight 44 Kg, theouter dimensions of a liquid crystal display stand (Sharp ID-DS03W) arewidth 917 mm, depth 870 mm, and the outer dimensions of a digitalmultifunction peripheral (Sharp MX-3500FN) are height 950 mm, width 645mm, and depth 670 mm, and weight 120 Kg. Here, when the liquid crystaldisplay and the digital copier are placed in series, the necessaryoccupied floor area is the width: liquid crystal display stand width 917mm times the depth: 1540 mm (digital copier depth 670 mm+liquid crystaldisplay stand depth 870 mm).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention was made in order to address the problemsdescribed above, and it is an object thereof to provide adisplay-integrated image forming apparatus with which it is possible toobtain an adequate publicity effect to walkway pedestrians, withoutrequiring a large installation location and with very simpleinstallation work.

In order to address the above problems, the display-integrated imageforming apparatus of the present invention includes a display apparatusthat has a display screen (hereinafter, also referred to as a ‘firstdisplay screen’) visible from a back face or a side face of the imageforming apparatus, the display apparatus being disposed on at least oneside face of an image forming apparatus case. That is, by using an imageforming apparatus also as a leg portion of a display apparatus, it ispossible to fit two large devices, namely the image forming apparatusand the display apparatus, substantially within the installation spaceof the image forming apparatus. Incidentally, if the above 52V-inchliquid crystal display (Sharp PN-525) is mounted to the rear face of theabove digital multifunction peripheral (Sharp MX-3500FN), the necessaryoccupied floor area is only the width: liquid crystal display width 742mm times the depth: 762 mm (liquid crystal display depth 92 mm+digitalmultifunction peripheral depth 670 mm). Also, balance is poor if theliquid crystal display is placed vertically, but by integrating theliquid crystal display with the digital multifunction peripheral, stableinstallation with good weight balance of the digital multifunctionperipheral and the liquid crystal display is possible. Thus, even in asmall store such as a convenience store or a supermarket, installationis possible in about the same location as conventional installation ofan image forming apparatus. In this case, when the display apparatus isattached to, for example, the rear face of the image forming apparatussuch that the first display screen faces outside, by only installing theimage forming apparatus inside the store in the conventional manner, thefirst display screen of the display apparatus faces pedestrians outsideof the store through the street-side (i.e., the walkway-side) wall faceglass. Accordingly, by displaying advertising information on the firstdisplay screen of this display apparatus, it is possible to displaypublicity advertisements with impact to pedestrians outside of thestore.

The display apparatus may be disposed not only on the back face side ofthe image forming apparatus, but also on a side face other than a sideface in which a maintenance door is provided or a side face from which apaper cassette is pulled out. By disposing the display apparatus in thisway, the display apparatus does not hinder maintenance (such as clearingof paper jams, replenishing paper, or exchanging toner) of the imageforming apparatus. In other words, with the present invention, a facethat is not frequently opened for maintenance of the image formingapparatus is used as an advertising space.

Also, according to the present invention, the display apparatus may bedisposed such that the top of the display apparatus protrudes above theimage forming apparatus case, and a second display screen may bedisposed on a face of that protruding portion that is opposite to thefirst display screen. This second display screen may display the sameinformation as the advertising information displayed in the firstdisplay screen of the display apparatus installed facing the walkway, ormay display information (such as detailed information) related to theadvertising information displayed in the first display screen. Thus,when a pedestrian interested in the advertising content of the firstdisplay screen enters the store and comes in front of the image formingapparatus, detailed information of the advertising content is displayedin the second display screen, so by operating a touch panel of thesecond display screen or an operation panel of the image formingapparatus, it is possible to perform printing or the like of desiredinformation.

Also, according to the present invention, the display apparatus may beprovided so as to be movable vertically relative to the image formingapparatus case, and a height position fixing portion that is capable ofsupportably fixing vertical operation of the display apparatus at adesired height position may be provided. Depending on the store in whichthe image forming apparatus is installed, the bottom portion of theglass window may be hidden from view, or other paper advertisements orthe like may be posted. Therefore, by making it possible to adjustheight, it is possible to install the display apparatus at an optimalheight for each store.

Also, according to the present invention, the display apparatus may beprovided so as to be rotatable along one side face of the image formingapparatus case to which the display apparatus has been attached, and arotation angle position fixing portion that is capable of supportablyfixing the rotation angle of the display apparatus at a desired angleposition may be provided. Depending on the store in which the imageforming apparatus is installed, it may be desired to install alarge-format display apparatus in a horizontal orientation instead of avertical orientation. Accordingly, by making the display apparatusrotatable along one side face of the image forming apparatus case towhich the display apparatus has been attached, and able to have itsposition fixed at a predetermined angle position, it is possible toadopt various modes of installation according to store circumstances.

Also, according to the present invention, the display apparatus may beused also as an opening/closing door that opens/closes one side face ofthe image forming apparatus case. In conventional image formingapparatuses, a door is provided in one side face of the image formingapparatus case that is used when recording paper becomes jammed within atransport path, when performing maintenance, or the like. By using thedisplay apparatus also as such a door, the conventional door can beomitted.

According to the present invention, by using the image forming apparatusalso as a leg portion of the display apparatus, it is possible to fittwo large devices, namely the image forming apparatus and the displayapparatus, substantially within the installation space of the imageforming apparatus. Thus, even in a small store such as a conveniencestore or a supermarket, installation is possible in about the samelocation as conventional installation of an image forming apparatus. Inthis case, when the display apparatus is attached to the image formingapparatus such that the display screen faces outside, by only installingthe image forming apparatus inside the store in the conventional manner,the display screen faces pedestrians outside of the store through thestreet-side (i.e., the walkway-side) wall face glass. Accordingly, bydisplaying advertising information on the display screen of this displayapparatus, it is possible to display publicity advertisements withimpact to pedestrians outside of the store. Also, by providing thedisplay apparatus so as to be movable vertically and rotatable relativeto the image forming apparatus, it is possible to place the displayapparatus at an optimal height position and angle position for eachstore.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A to 1C are outer perspective views of an embodiment of adisplay-integrated image forming apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 2A is a perspective view showing an example in which thedisplay-integrated image forming apparatus of the present invention isinstalled in a convenience store.

FIG. 2B is a plan view showing an example in which thedisplay-integrated image forming apparatus of the present invention isinstalled in a convenience store.

FIGS. 3A to 3C illustrate operation when the large-format display ofthis embodiment is slidingly moved in the vertical direction relative toa rear face case of the image forming apparatus, and FIGS. 3D to 3Fillustrate operation when the large-format display is rotated ±90degrees along the rear face case of the image forming apparatus.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a vertical movement mechanismportion.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view in which the vertical movementmechanism portion is viewed from above.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of relevant parts of a rotational movementmechanism portion.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view in which the rotational movementmechanism portion is viewed from above.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of relevant parts when thevertical movement mechanism portion and the rotation mechanism portionare provided as a single body.

FIGS. 9A and 9B show other embodiments of the display-integrated imageforming apparatus of the present invention, and are perspective viewsthat show an example in which a large-format display has been installedto one side face case of the image forming apparatus.

FIG. 10 is a plan view that shows an example in which adisplay-integrated image forming apparatus with a large-format displayinstalled to a side face case has been installed in a convenience store.

FIGS. 11A and 11B are perspective views that show other embodiments ofthe display-integrated image forming apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view that shows an example in which alarge-format display is also used as an opening/closing door.

FIGS. 13A to 13D show still other embodiments of the display-integratedimage forming apparatus of the present invention, and are perspectiveviews that show an example in which a large-format display is installedto a rear face case and a side face case of the image forming apparatus.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram that shows the electrical configuration ofthe display-integrated image forming apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 15 illustrates the configuration of an operation portion.

FIGS. 16A to 16E illustrate a setting process procedure when settingdata to be displayed in the large-format display.

FIG. 17 illustrates a display example of advertising data displayed in afirst display screen of the large-format display.

FIG. 18 illustrates a display example of data displayed in a seconddisplay screen of the large-format display.

FIG. 19 illustrates a display example of data displayed in the firstdisplay screen and the second display screen of the large-formatdisplay.

FIG. 20 illustrates an ordinary arrangement configuration of aconvenience store.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described withreference to the accompanying drawings.

FIGS. 1A to 1C are outer perspective views of an embodiment of adisplay-integrated image forming apparatus of the present invention.

This image forming apparatus A1 is an image forming apparatus with anin-body paper discharge structure formed in a sideways U shape whenviewed from the front. In the image forming apparatus A1, an originalpressing lid 52, an original capturing portion 53, and a scanner portion54 are disposed above an in-body paper discharge opening portion 51, andan image forming portion 55 and a paper supply portion 56 are disposedbelow the in-body paper discharge opening portion 51. Also, akeyboard-type and touch panel-type operation portion 58 is disposed onthe front face of the original capturing portion 53.

That is, the image forming apparatus A1 is surrounded by a rear facecase 11 a formed in a rectangular shape, a right side face case 11 b, anapproximately rectangular front face case 11 c where the in-body paperdischarge opening portion 51 is notched in a sideways U shape, and aleft side face case 11 d, and the top of these case portions is coveredby the scanner portion 54, which includes the original pressing lid 52and the original capturing portion 53. Also, although not shown, castersare provided at each case bottom corner, so that the image formingapparatus can be freely moved by pushing.

The image forming apparatus A1 is a front access-type image formingapparatus in which, when an original is placed in the original capturingportion 53, when recording paper is drawn from a discharge tray 57 ofthe in-body paper discharge opening portion 51, and when recording paperis replenished in the paper supply portion 56, these activities can beperformed from the front face of the image forming apparatus. Also, afront door 12 is provided immediately below the in-body paper dischargeopening portion 51 of the front face case 11 c, side doors 13 and 14 areprovided at two locations above and below in the right side face case 11b, and respective paper cassettes 56 a and 56 b of the paper supplyportion 56 are disposed so as to be capable of being pulled out to thefront, below the front door 12. By opening the front door 12, it ispossible to perform maintenance such as toner replenishment, exchangingof a photosensitive body, and repair or exchange of a fixing unit or acharging unit. Also, when removing jammed recording paper from a papertransport path, the side doors 13 and 14 are opened as necessary.However, other than disposing the discharge tray 57 in the in-body paperdischarge opening portion 51, the configuration of constituent portionsdisposed above and below the in-body paper discharge opening portion 51is an example, and is not limited to this arrangement configuration.

In the above configuration, in the present embodiment, a large-formatdisplay apparatus (display) 21, arranged so that the lengthwisedirection of its screen is oriented vertically, is attached as a singlebody to the rear face case 11 a of the image forming apparatus A1, witha first display screen 22 facing to the outside. That is, in the presentembodiment, the image forming apparatus A1 is used as a leg portion ofthe large-format display 21. Thus, it is possible to fit two largedevices, namely the image forming apparatus A1 and the large-formatdisplay 21, substantially within the installation space of the imageforming apparatus A1. Also, because a connection cord between the imageforming apparatus A1 and the large-format display 21 is not exposed tothe outside, appearance is neat, and there is no problem of theconnection cord being pulled. However, strictly speaking, a space isnecessary for the thickness of the large-format display 21 and the depthof a vertical movement mechanism portion and a rotation mechanismportion, described below. Thus, even in a small store such as aconvenience store or a supermarket, installation of thedisplay-integrated image forming apparatus of the present invention ispossible in about the same location as conventional installation of animage forming apparatus.

Also, the large-format display 21 is disposed such that the top of thelarge-format display 21 protrudes above the rear face case 11 a, and asecond display screen 23 is disposed on a face of that protrudingportion that is opposite to the first display screen 22. Although notabsolutely necessary, it is better to provide the second display screen23, in consideration of convenience of the user. Also, in the aboveexample, the first display screen 22 and the second display screen 23 ofthe large-format display 21 are provided as a single body, but they mayalso be separate.

FIGS. 2A and 2B show an example in which the display-integrated imageforming apparatus having the above configuration is installed in aconvenience store, with FIG. 2A being a perspective view and FIG. 2Bbeing a plan view.

That is, in recent convenience stores, the portion of the store thatfaces the street (walkway) is entirely encased in glass by a transparentglass window, and products are displayed such that people walking alongthe walkway can know the state of products inside the store at a glance.Specifically, in an ordinary arrangement pattern, a wide space-sideglass window 501 and a narrow space side glass window 502 are providedwith an entrance 500 between them, a bookshelf 510 is placed along thewide space-side glass window 501, an image forming apparatus A is placedalong the narrow space-side glass window 502, a register counter 503 isdisposed behind the image forming apparatus A1 within the store, andmiscellaneous products shelves 511 are disposed behind the bookshelf 510within the store. In this case, the image forming apparatus A1 isdisposed so that the first display screen 22 of the large-format display21 attached to the rear face faces outside (i.e., the walkway outside ofthe store). Thus, the first display screen 22 of the large-formatdisplay 21 faces pedestrians outside of the store through thestreet-side (i.e., the walkway-side) glass window 502. Accordingly, bydisplaying advertising information on the first display screen 22 of thelarge-format display 21, it is possible to display publicityadvertisements with impact to pedestrians outside of the store. In thiscase, the second display screen 23 may display the same information asthe advertising information displayed in the first display screen 22installed facing the walkway, or may display information (such asdetailed information) related to the advertising information displayedin the first display screen 22. Thus, when a pedestrian interested inthe advertising content of the first display screen 22 enters the storeand comes in front of the image forming apparatus A1, detailedinformation of the advertising content is displayed in the seconddisplay screen 23, so by operating a touch panel of the second displayscreen 23 or the operation portion 58 of the image forming apparatus A1,it is possible to perform printing or the like of desired information.For example, it is possible that information that a coupon will beissued is displayed in the first display screen 22, and when a customerwho has seen this information enters the store and operates (touches) acoupon issue button displayed in the detailed information displayed inthe second display screen 23, the image forming apparatus A1 outputs acoupon by printing.

FIGS. 3A to 3C illustrate operation when the large-format display 21 ofthis embodiment is slidingly moved in the vertical direction relative tothe rear face case 11 a of the image forming apparatus A1, and FIGS. 3Dto 3F illustrate operation when the large-format display 21 is rotated±90 degrees along the rear face case 11 a of the image forming apparatusA1.

Depending on the store in which the image forming apparatus A1 isinstalled, the bottom portion of the glass window 502 may be hidden fromview, or other paper advertisements or the like may be posted.Therefore, by making it possible to adjust height and possible to fixthe height position as shown in FIGS. 3A to 3C, it is possible toinstall the large-format display 21 at an optimal height for each store.Likewise, depending on the store in which the image forming apparatus A1is installed, it may be desired to install the large-format display 21in a horizontal orientation instead of a vertical orientation.Accordingly, as shown in FIGS. 3D to 3F, by making the large-formatdisplay 21 rotatable along the case 11 a of the image forming apparatusA1 and able to have its position fixed at a predetermined angle (90degrees in this example), it is possible to adopt various modes ofinstallation according to store circumstances.

<Display Vertical Movement Mechanism Portion>

Next, an example of the structure of a display vertical movementmechanism portion for allowing vertical sliding movement as shown inFIGS. 3A to 3C will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 4is an exploded perspective view of a vertical movement mechanism portion30, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view in which the vertical movementmechanism portion 30 is viewed from above.

On both the left and right sides of the rear face case 11 a of the imageforming apparatus A1, a pair of elongated holding plates 31 provided soas to protrude to the rear in parallel are integrally formed (or fixedby being attached with screws or the like), and a pair of elongatedguide rail plates 32 provided so as to protrude to the rear in parallelwith a predetermined gap L1, are fixed by being integrally attached withunshown screws or the like to the rear face case 11 a surrounded bythese holding plates 31. In each of these guide rail plates 32, asingle-row rail groove portion 33 that is continuous from the top end tothe bottom end of the guide rail plate 32 is formed in a face (i.e., theface facing the holding plate 31) opposite to the face where the guiderail plates 32 face each other.

On the other hand, a pair of elongated display holding sliders 24,provided so as to protrude to the front in parallel with a predeterminedgap L2, are fixed by being attached with screws 26 or the like to a rearface case 21 a of the large-format display 21. In each of these displayholding sliders 24, a single-row rail protruding portion 25 that iscontinuous from the top end to the bottom end of the display holdingslider 24 is formed in the face where the display holding sliders 24face each other, and these rail protruding portions 25 fit together witheach of the rail groove portions 33 of the guide rail plates 32, thusengaging so as to be capable of sliding movement in the verticaldirection. In other words, the predetermined gaps L1 and L2 are set suchthat smooth sliding movement in the vertical direction is possible whilemaintaining engagement of the rail protruding portions 25 and the railgroove portions 33.

Also, a vertical movement fixing pin 36 for fixing a facing displayholding slider 24 is provided in one of the holding plates (the rightside holding plate in FIGS. 4 and 5) 31. This vertical movement fixingpin 36 is constantly biased in the direction of the display holdingslider 24 by a coil spring 37, and by engaging the vertical movementfixing pin 36 with any one of a plurality of fixing holes 27 (in thisembodiment, three fixing holes 27 a, 27 b, and 27 c) on an outer facethat faces the display holding slider 24, thus fixing the heightposition of the display holding slider 24, so that it is possible toadjust the height position of the large-format display 21.

Here, an operation method when, for example, changing the heightposition of the large-format display 21 from that shown in FIG. 3A tothat shown in FIG. 3B will be described.

First, a handle portion 36 a of the vertical movement fixing pin 36provided in the holding plate 31 is pulled to elastically compress thecoil spring 37, thus removing engagement of the vertical movement fixingpin 36 from the fixing hole 27 a of the display holding slider 24. Thus,the display holding slider 24 becomes capable of sliding movement. Next,in a state with the handle portion 36 a of the vertical movement fixingpin 36 pulled, the large-format display 21 is raised to the position inFIG. 3B, and pulling of the handle portion 36 a of the vertical movementfixing pin 36 is released. When doing so, due to biasing force (elasticresilience) of the coil spring 37 provided on the vertical movementfixing pin 36, the vertical movement fixing pin 36 engages with thefixing hole 27 b of the display holding slider 24, and the large-formatdisplay 21 is fixed at the position in FIG. 3B.

Note that in the above operation instructions, the handle portion 36 ais continuously pulled from the time that engagement of the verticalmovement fixing pin 36 is removed from the fixing hole 27 a of thedisplay holding slider 24 to the time that the vertical movement fixingpin 36 is engaged in the next fixing hole 27 b, but a configuration mayalso be adopted in which after engagement of the vertical movementfixing pin 36 is removed from the fixing hole 27 a, pulling of thehandle portion 36 a is released once the display holding slider 24 hasbeen slid slightly upward. Thus, when the display holding slider 24 isslowly raised, when the tip of the vertical movement fixing pin 36matches the next fixing hole 27 b, the vertical movement fixing pin 36is automatically engaged with the fixing hole 27 b due to the biasingforce (elastic resilience) of the coil spring 37.

<Display Rotation Mechanism Portion>

Next, an example of the structure of a display rotational movementmechanism portion for allowing rotational movement as shown in FIGS. 3Dto 3F will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG. 6 is aperspective view of relevant parts of a rotational movement mechanismportion 40, and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view in which the rotationalmovement mechanism portion 40 is viewed from above.

The large-format display 21 provided in the rear face case 11 a of theimage forming apparatus A1, as shown in FIGS. 3D to 3F, can be held inan orientation desired by a user by rotating the large-format display 21clockwise ±90 degrees from a vertical display state (FIG. 3D) to ahorizontal display state (FIGS. 3E and 3F).

The rotational movement mechanism portion 40 of the present embodimentfor realizing this has a structure in which one end portion 42 a of arotating shaft 42 is supported by a bearing portion 41 provided in therear face case 11 a of the image forming apparatus A1, and the rear facecase 21 a of the large-format display 21 is supported and fixed byanother end portion 42 b of the rotating shaft 42. A cylindrical holdingportion 28 for supporting and fixing the other end portion 42 b of therotating shaft 42 is provided in the rear face case 21 a of thelarge-format display 21 of the present embodiment, and in a state withthe other end portion 42 b of the rotating shaft 42 inserted through theholding portion 28, the large-format display 21 is supported and fixedas a single body with the rotating shaft 42 by fastening with a screw 29or the like to the rotating shaft 42 from the outer circumferential faceof the holding portion 28.

On the other hand, the bearing portion 41 provided in the rear face case11 a of the image forming apparatus A1 is configured with a firstbearing portion 41 a supported and fixed by the rear face case 11 a anda second bearing portion 41 b supported and fixed by a bearing supportplate 45 provided within the rear face case 11 a, and the one endportion 42 a of the rotating shaft 42 is supported by the first bearingportion 41 a and the second bearing portion 41 b. A rotating disk 43 isprovided integrated with the rotating shaft 42 between the first bearingportion 41 a and the second bearing portion 41 b, and in thecircumferential portion of the rotating disk 43, a pin groove 43 a, apin groove 43 b, and a pin groove 43 c are provided at 90 degreeintervals.

A rotation fixing pin 46 for fixing the rotation position of therotating shaft 42 is provided in the left side face case 11 d of theimage forming apparatus A1. This rotation fixing pin 46 is constantlybiased in the direction of the rotating disk 43 by the coil spring 47,and by engaging the rotation fixing pin 46 in any one of the three pingrooves 43 a to 43 c provided in the circumferential portion of therotating disk 43 to fix the rotation position (i.e., the rotationposition of the rotating shaft 42) of the rotating disk 43, as shown inFIGS. 3D to 3F, it is possible to hold the large-format display 21 at aclockwise 0 degrees position, a clockwise 90 degrees position, or aclockwise −90 degrees position.

Here, an operation method when rotating the rotation angle position ofthe large-format display 21 from the clockwise 0 degrees position (theposition shown in FIG. 3D) to the clockwise −90 degrees position (theposition in FIG. 3E) will be described.

First, a handle portion 46 a of the rotation fixing pin 46 provided inthe left side face case 11 d of the image forming apparatus A1 is pulledto elastically compress the coil spring 47, thus removing engagement ofthe rotation fixing pin 46 from the pin groove 43 b of the rotating disk43. Thus, the rotating shaft 42 becomes capable of rotational movement.Next, in a state with the handle portion 46 a of the rotation fixing pin46 pulled, the large-format display 21 is rotated clockwise −90 degreesto the position in FIG. 3E, and pulling of the handle portion 46 a ofthe rotation fixing pin 46 is released. When doing so, due to biasingforce (elastic resilience) of the coil spring 47 provided on therotation fixing pin 46, the rotation fixing pin 46 engages with the pingroove 43 c of the rotating disk 43, and the large-format display 21 isfixed at the position in FIG. 3E.

Likewise, in a state with the handle portion 46 a of the rotation fixingpin 46 pulled to elastically compress the coil spring 47, thus removingengagement of the rotation fixing pin 46 from the pin groove 43 b of therotating disk 43, when the large-format display 21 is rotated clockwise+90 degrees to the position in FIG. 3F, the rotation fixing pin 46engages with the pin groove 43 a of the rotating disk 43.

Note that in the above operation instructions, the handle portion 46 ais continuously pulled from the time that engagement of the rotationfixing pin 46 is removed from the pin groove 43 b of the rotating disk43 to the time that the rotation fixing pin 46 is engaged in the nextpin groove 43 c, but a configuration may also be adopted in which afterengagement of the rotation fixing pin 46 is removed from the pin groove43 b, pulling of the handle portion 46 a is released once the rotatingshaft 42 has been slightly rotated in the counterclockwise direction.Thus, when the rotating shaft 42 is further rotated in thecounterclockwise direction, when the tip of the rotation fixing pin 46matches the next pin groove 43 c, the rotation fixing pin 46 isautomatically engaged with the pin groove 43 c due to the biasing force(elastic resilience) of the coil spring 47.

In the description of the above mechanism portions, an example wasdescribed in which the display vertical movement mechanism portion 30and the display rotation mechanism portion 40 are separately provided,but these mechanism portions may also be provided as a single body. FIG.8 is an exploded perspective view of relevant parts when the displayvertical movement mechanism portion 30 and the display rotationmechanism portion 40 are provided as a single body.

When only the display vertical movement mechanism portion 30 isprovided, as shown in FIG. 4, the holding plates 31 and the guide railplates 32 are directly fixed to the rear face case 11 a of the imageforming apparatus A1, but in FIG. 8, the holding plates 31 and the guiderail plates 32 are fixed to a vertical movement base plate 39, and astructure may be adopted in which this vertical movement base plate 39is supported by and fixed to the other end portion 42 b of the rotatingshaft 42 shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. Thus, the vertical movement shown inFIGS. 3A to 3C can be performed together with the rotational movementshown in FIGS. 3D to 3F, so it is possible to realize a flexiblearrangement configuration according to the installation conditions ofeach store.

Next is a description of other embodiments of various arrangementconfigurations, the shape of the large-format display 21, and the likeof the display-integrated image forming apparatus of the presentinvention.

For example, in FIGS. 3D to 3F, the center of rotation is slightly belowthe center of the large-format display 21. Therefore, when thelarge-format display 21 is rotated, as shown in FIGS. 3E and 3F, oneside of the large-format display 21 protrudes from the horizontal widthof the back face case 11 a of the image forming apparatus A1. However,in a convenience store or the like, normally copies are provided for afee and so a money-accepting apparatus is provided beside the imageforming apparatus A1. When the protruding width of the large-formatdisplay 21 is about the same as the installment width of thismoney-accepting apparatus, it is not a problem to place the large-formatdisplay 21 in a horizontal orientation.

Also, in the above embodiment, an example was described in which thelarge-format display 21 is attached to the rear face of the imageforming apparatus A1, but as long as there is no obstruction to originalcapturing, taking paper from a discharge tray, replenishing recordingpaper in a paper cassette, opening/closing doors for maintenance or thelike, the large-format display 21 may, for example, be attached to theone side face case 11 d of the image forming apparatus A1, as shown inFIGS. 9A and 9B. FIG. 9A shows an example with the second display screen23, and FIG. 9B shows an example without the second display screen 23.

FIG. 10 shows an example in which the image forming apparatus A1 shownin FIGS. 9A and 9B has been installed in a convenience store. In thisexample, the image forming apparatus A1 is installed, via the entrance500, along a narrow space-side glass window 504, in a horizontalorientation relative to the glass window 504 such that the first displayscreen 22 of the large-format display 21 attached to the side face facesthe outside (i.e., the walkway outside of the store). That is, the imageforming apparatus A1 is installed such that the rear face of the imageforming apparatus A1 faces a wall 505. This is an effective mode ofinstallation when it is not possible to secure an adequate useroperation space for the image forming apparatus A1 between the glasswindow 504 and a register counter 506, and this mode of installation ismade possible by attaching the large-format display 21 to a side face ofthe image forming apparatus A1.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the width of the large-formatdisplay 21 when installed in a vertical orientation is matched to thewidth of the image forming apparatus A1, but it is not absolutelynecessary for these widths to match. For example, as shown in FIG. 11A,the width of the large-format display 21 may be slightly more than thewidth of the image forming apparatus A1, or as shown in FIG. 11B, thewidth of the large-format display 21 may be slightly less than the widthof the image forming apparatus A1.

Also, the large-format display 21 can also be used as an opening/closingdoor that opens/closes one side face of the image forming apparatus A1.For example, by supporting one side of the back face case 11 a of theimage forming apparatus A1 and one side of the back face of thelarge-format display 21 with a hinge or the like such thatopening/closing is possible, as shown in FIG. 12, it becomes possible toopen/close the back face side of the image forming apparatus A1. Thus,when performing maintenance, when recording paper has become jammed inthe transport path, or the like, by opening the large-format display 21,it is easy to perform maintenance work or remove jammed paper. Also, byusing the large-format display 21 also as a door that opens the insideof the image forming apparatus A1, it is possible to omit theconventional side doors 13 and 14.

Also, in the above embodiment, an example was described in which thelarge-format display 21 is attached to the rear face case 11 a or theside face case 11 d of the image forming apparatus A1, but thelarge-format display 21 may, for example, be attached to the rear facecase 11 a and the side face case 11 d of the image forming apparatus A1,as shown in FIGS. 13A to 13D. FIG. 13A shows an example in which thereis a second display screen 23 in a large-format display 21 a attached tothe rear face case 11 a, and there is not a second display screen in alarge-format display 21 b attached to the side face case 11 d, and FIG.13B shows an example in which there is not a second display screen 23 inthe large-format display 21 a attached to the rear face case 11 a, andthere is a second display screen in the large-format display 21 battached to the side face case 11 d. Furthermore, although the seconddisplay screen 23 is provided in either the large-format display 21 a orthe large-format display 21 b, the second display screen 23 may beprovided in both the large-format display 21 a and the large-formatdisplay 21 b, or may be not provided in either the large-format display21 a or the large-format display 21 b.

Electrical Configuration of Display-Integrated Image Forming Apparatusof Present Embodiment

In the present embodiment, the display-integrated image formingapparatus of the present invention is applied to a digital multifunctionperipheral. FIG. 14 shows an overview of the electrical configuration ofsuch a digital multifunction peripheral, and the connectionrelationships with peripheral devices.

First will be a description of the electrical configuration of thisdigital multifunction peripheral (image forming apparatus) A1.

As shown in FIG. 14, the digital multifunction peripheral A1 is providedwith a scanner portion 54, an operation portion 58, an image formingportion 55, a device control portion 59, a fax modem 60, acommunications portion 61, a management portion 62, and a hard disk (HD)63. That is, the digital copier A1 of this embodiment is a multifunctionperipheral having a fax machine and a network printer.

The scanner portion 54 is provided with a CCD 54 a, an originaldetection sensor 54 b, and the like.

The operation portion 58 is provided with an input portion 58 aconfigured with a touch panel described later and various functionbuttons that are mechanical keys, and the like, and a display portion 58b that is configured with a display panel of liquid crystal or the like.FIG. 15 shows the configuration of the operation portion 58. The displayportion 58 b has a structure in which a transparent touch panel 104 isdisposed on the upper face of a display panel 101, and various functionbuttons 102 and a numeric keypad 103 are disposed to the side (to theright side in FIG. 15) of the display portion 58 b. Further, a startbutton, a clear all (CA) button, and a clear (C) button are disposed tothe right side of the numeric keypad 103.

The image forming portion 55 is provided with an image processingportion 55 a that has a work memory 55 b where print data isdecompressed; an encryption/decryption portion 55 c that encrypts datatransmitted from outside in order to protect that data in a device, andtemporarily saves (stores) that encrypted data to the hard disk 63, andalso decrypts the data saved to the hard disk 63 and transfers thedecrypted data to the image processing portion 55 a; a print portion 55d that has a laser scanning unit (LSU); and the like. Here, the printportion 55 d is not limited to a laser scanning unit (LSU), and isapplicable in various forms, such as an inkjet system or a heat transfersystem.

The device control portion 59 manages operational control of devices asa whole, and is configured with a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and the like. Asdisplay control, other than display control of the display portion 58 b,the device control portion 59 also performs display control of the firstdisplay screen 22 and the second display screen 23 of the large-formatdisplay 21.

The management portion 62 manages information necessary for deviceoperation, and for example, with respect to sending and receiving,performs management of mail addresses and fax telephone numbers, and thelike. Also, the management portion 62 performs overall management ofinformation necessary for device operation such as management oflocation information (address information) of data temporarily saved tothe hard disk 63, management of location information of data output tothe printer when operating in printer mode, and the like.

Also, in the present embodiment, the management portion 62 manages theorder, time, and the like for displaying various display data stored tothe hard disk 63 in the first display screen 22 and the second displayscreen 23 of the large-format display 21.

The communications portion 61 performs bidirectional communications witha network 71, and in the present embodiment, is a printer board providedwith a memory for decompressing received data into data handled by adevice. Accordingly, with the communications portion 61, received datais, while decompressed in this memory, sequentially transferred to thework memory 55 b.

In the digital multifunction peripheral with the above configuration, itis possible to connect a facsimile apparatus 81 via a telephone line 72to the fax modem 60. Also, a terminal apparatus (personal computer) 82,a server 83, and the like can be connected to the communications portion61 via the network 71, which is a LAN or the like, and an internet fax84, an external personal computer 85, or the like can be connected tothe communications portion 61 via the Internet 73. The digitalmultifunction peripheral A1 of the present embodiment is disposed inthis sort of a network environment.

It is also possible to store data (moving images, still images, text, orthe like) that has been forwarded to the digital multifunctionperipheral A1 via the network 71 from the terminal apparatus 82, theserver 83, or the like to the hard disk 63, and display this data on thefirst display screen 22 and the second display screen 23 of thelarge-format display 21 based on the management information stored inthe management portion 62.

FIGS. 16A to 16E show an example of a setting process procedure whensetting data to be displayed in the large-format display 21. Thissetting process procedure is described below.

When ‘special function’ displayed in the display panel 101 (touch panel104) of the operation portion 58 shown in FIG. 15 is selected, thedisplay panel 101 moves to the screen shown in FIG. 16A.

The ‘special function’ screen shown in FIG. 16A performs operationsettings of the digital multifunction peripheral A1, and by selecting‘display settings’ on this screen, the display panel 101 moves to thescreen shown in FIG. 16B.

The ‘display settings’ screen shown in FIG. 16B is a selection screen ofdisplay data to be displayed in the large-format display 21, and isconfigured with ‘original capture’, ‘web access’, and ‘document filing’.

‘Original capture’ is selected when capturing display data displayed inthe large-format display 21 using the scanner portion 54.

‘Web access’ displays a designated web page in the large-format display21, and by selecting ‘web access’, the display panel 101 moves to thescreen shown in FIG. 16C. Using character keys or the like displayed inFIG. 16C, it is possible to set the address of a specific home page.

‘Document filing’ is used when displaying data (image data) stored tothe hard disk 63 in the large-format display 21 based on the managementinformation stored in an unshown memory portion of the managementportion 62, and by selecting ‘document filing’, the display panel 101moves to the ‘document filing’ screen shown in FIG. 16D.

The ‘document filing’ screen shown in FIG. 16D is configured with ‘savescan’, ‘filing folder’, and ‘automatic temporary save folder’. FIG. 16Eis an example display screen displayed when ‘automatic temporary savefolder’ of this ‘document filing’ screen has been selected, and byselecting a desired file from a displayed file list, it is possible toselect data to be displayed in the large-format display 21. In thiscase, it is also possible to select a plurality of files, and when aplurality of files are selected, the display data of the selected filesis, for example, displayed by successively switching at a predeterminedtime interval (or a time interval set by the user).

The ‘detailed settings’ provided in FIG. 16B is used when displaying aplurality of screens in the large-format display 21 or setting displaytime, for example. By performing these detailed settings, it ispossible, for example, to perform settings to display data A in thefirst display screen 22 and display data B in the second display screen23, or settings to set the display time of the data A displayed in thefirst display screen 22 to a time from 2:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M.

Data acquired by operation of the selection screens ‘original capture’,‘web access’, and ‘document filing’ in FIG. 16B is temporarily stored(saved) to the hard disk 63, and based on the management informationstored in an unshown memory portion of the management portion 62, thedevice control portion 59 appropriately reads this data from the harddisk 63 and displays the read data in each display screen of thelarge-format display 21.

Next is a description of an example of a case where, in thedisplay-integrated image forming apparatus with the above configuration,a customer who has viewed various data displayed in the large-formatdisplay 21, performs print output of desired data with the image formingapparatus A1.

FIG. 17 is a display example of advertising data for a conveniencestore, a supermarket, or the like displayed in the first display screen22 of the large-format display 21. In this display example, references201 and 202 indicate product introduction advertising data focusing onfood, a menu, a new product, or the like, for example, and references203 and 204 indicate event introduction advertising data that introducesa function, an event, or the like, for example. By displaying this sortof advertising in the large-format display 21 disposed near thewalkway-side glass window, it is possible to perform a publicityadvertisement with impact to pedestrians.

Here, for example, the food advertising data indicated by reference 202in FIG. 17 is displayed in the first display screen 22 of thelarge-format display 21, a pedestrian who has viewed this advertisingdata enters the store in order to obtain data related to that food, andwhen coming in front of the image forming apparatus A1, for example, asrelated information, a food information top page indicated by reference301 in FIG. 18 is displayed in the second display screen 23 of thelarge-format display 21. As described above, an operation input touchpanel is provided in this display screen, and when a customer (operator)that viewed this screen, for example, touches ‘bargain products’ 301 a,bargain information indicated by reference 302 is displayed in thesecond display screen 23. Here, when the operator touches ‘coupon of theday’ 302 a of this bargain information screen, although not shown, ascreen for confirming whether or not to print is displayed, and when theuser then touches ‘print’ in that screen, the device control portion 59receives this instruction, reads data of a bargain product of the dayand coupon data that is saved to the hard disk 63, and performs printoutput of those pieces of data via the image processing portion 55 a andthe print portion 55 d. That is, a coupon is issued.

Also, when the operator that viewed the screen 301 of the foodinformation top page, for example, touches ‘recommended product’ 301 b,recommended product information indicated by reference 303 is displayedin the second display screen 23. Here, when the operator touches ‘print’303 a of this recommended product information screen 303, the devicecontrol portion 59 receives this instruction, reads description data ofa recommended product and recipe data that uses that recommended productthat is saved in the memory portion, and performs print output of thosepieces of data via the image processing portion 55 a and the printportion 55 d.

Also, when the user that viewed the screen 301 of the food informationtop page, for example, touches ‘event information’ 301 c, eventinformation indicated by reference 304 is displayed in the seconddisplay screen 23. Here, when the operator touches ‘print’ 304 a of thisevent information screen 304, the device control portion 59 receivesthis instruction, reads description data of a time-limited service orpresent month event information and data of tickets for participating inthose events saved to the hard disk 63, and performs print output ofthose pieces of data via the image processing portion 55 a and the printportion 55 d. That is, a ticket is issued.

Also, when the operator that viewed the screen 301 of the foodinformation top page, for example, touches ‘coupon of the day’ 301 d,although not shown, a list of issuable coupons is displayed, and whenthe operator touches a desired coupon from that list and then touches anunshown ‘print’, the device control portion 59 receives thisinstruction, reads data of that coupon saved to the hard disk 63, andperforms print output of that data via the image processing portion 55 aand the print portion 55 d. That is, a coupon is issued.

Also, with respect to the recording paper when print output of variousdata displayed in the large-format display 21 is performed with theimage forming apparatus A1, different recording paper may be used thanwhen providing a copy service for a fee. That is, print output of datadisplayed in the large-format display 21 is provided as a service forthe purpose of securing store customers, so it is necessary to haveconsumers use this service without concern as a free service. In otherwords, it is assumed that this service is provided free of charge.Consequently, when performing print output of data displayed in thelarge-format display 21, by using recording paper with advertisingprinted on the back, it is possible to have the advertiser bear theburden of the cost of printing, and thus have consumers print datawithout concern as a free service.

Next is a description of a process procedure when a store manager, forexample, plans a sudden time-limited service, creates an advertisingflyer, and displays this flyer in the large-format display 21.

In the process procedure in this case, first the created advertisingflyer is placed in the original capturing portion 53 and covered by theoriginal processing lid 52, then the ‘special function’ displayed in thedisplay panel 101 of the operation portion 58 shown in FIG. 15 isselected as described above, next ‘display settings’ is selected fromthe ‘special function’ screen shown in FIG. 16A, then ‘original capture’is selected from the ‘display settings’ screen shown in FIG. 16B, andfinally the start button of the operation portion 58 shown in FIG. 15 ispressed. Thus, the placed advertising flyer is captured with the scannerportion 54. The captured data is temporarily saved to the hard disk 63,and displayed in the first display screen 22 of the large-format display21. At this time, the captured data may also be displayed in the seconddisplay screen 23. Thus, it is possible to notify pedestrians outside ofthe store of suddenly providing a time-limited service with a publicityadvertisement using a large screen, and it is also possible to notifycustomers inside the store of the time-limited service.

The above example is concerned with a convenience store, a supermarket,or the like, but FIG. 19 shows an example of applying thedisplay-integrated image forming apparatus of the present invention in areal estate company.

In real estate companies as well, recently a technique is adopted inwhich a side of the store facing a walkway is entirely encased in glass,and advertisements are posted on this glass face. Accordingly, bydisposing the first display screen 22 of the large-format display 21 ofthe display-integrated image forming apparatus of the present inventionnear the glass face, same as with the above convenience store or thelike, it is possible to perform publicity advertisement of real estateinformation. That is, as shown in FIG. 19, information of a plurality ofproperties is displayed. A pedestrian who has viewed this propertyinformation enters the store in order to obtain data related to thatproperty, and when coming in front of the image forming apparatus A1, aproperty information top page indicated by reference 401 in FIG. 19 isdisplayed in the display panel 101 (touch panel 104) of the operationportion 58, and the customer (operator) that viewed this screen selects‘property list display’ to select that property information. Aconfiguration may be adopted in which, for example, simple consecutivenumbers or the like are assigned to the property information displayedin the first display screen 22, so that when this selection is made fromthe property list, it is possible to select the property using itsassigned number. Thus, the selected property information is displayed onthe second display screen 23, and due to the operator who has confirmedthat content pressing the start button of the operation portion 58, thedevice control portion 59 reads data of that property information savedto the hard disk 63, and performs print output of that propertyinformation data via the image processing portion 55 a and the printportion 55 d.

Note that in the display-integrated image forming apparatus of thepresent embodiment, as described above, the large-format display 21 isprovided so as to be rotatable along the apparatus case 11 of the imageforming apparatus A1. Accordingly, it is necessary that the devicecontrol portion 59 switches the display direction of the first andsecond display screens 22 and 23 according to the rotation angle of thelarge-format display 21. Therefore, in the present embodiment, arotation angle detection means 64 is disposed in the rotating disk 43 ofthe display rotation mechanism portion 40. As for the means of detectingthe rotation direction and rotation angle of the rotating disk 43, therehave been various proposals in the conventional technology, and thatwidely known technology is also applicable in this embodiment. However,as the simplest configuration, a configuration may be adopted in whichlimit switches 64 a, 64 b, and 64 c (see FIGS. 6 and 7) are disposed atthe bottom of the respective pin grooves 43 a, 43 b, and 43 c, and whenthe tip of the rotation fixing pin 46 has engaged with any of the pingrooves, the corresponding limit switch is switched on. By inputtingon/off signals of these limit switches 64 a, 64 b, and 64 c to thedevice control portion 59, the device control portion 59 knows therotation direction and rotation angle position of the large-formatdisplay 21, so based on these signals it is possible for the devicecontrol portion 59 to switch the display direction of the first andsecond display screens 22 and 23 of the large-format display 21. Bydoing so, it is possible to adopt various modes of installationaccording to store circumstances.

The present invention may be embodied in various other forms withoutdeparting from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. Theembodiments disclosed in this application are to be considered in allrespects as illustrative and not limiting. The scope of the invention isindicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoingdescription, and all modifications or changes that come within themeaning and range of equivalency of the claims are intended to beembraced therein.

1. A display-integrated image forming apparatus comprising a displayapparatus that has a display screen visible from a back face or a sideface of the image forming apparatus, the display apparatus beingdisposed on at least one side face of an image forming apparatus case.2. The display-integrated image forming apparatus according to claim 1,wherein the image forming apparatus is used also as a leg portion of thedisplay apparatus.
 3. The display-integrated image forming apparatusaccording to claim 1, wherein the display apparatus is disposed suchthat the top of the display apparatus protrudes above the image formingapparatus case, and a second display screen is disposed on a face ofthat protruding portion that is opposite to the display screen.
 4. Thedisplay-integrated image forming apparatus according to claim 2, whereinthe display apparatus is disposed such that the top of the displayapparatus protrudes above the image forming apparatus case, and a seconddisplay screen is disposed on a face of that protruding portion that isopposite to the display screen.
 5. The display-integrated image formingapparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display apparatus isprovided so as to be movable vertically relative to the image formingapparatus case.
 6. The display-integrated image forming apparatusaccording to claim 5, comprising a height position fixing portion thatis capable of supportably fixing vertical operation of the displayapparatus at a desired height position.
 7. The display-integrated imageforming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display apparatus isprovided so as to be rotatable along one side face of the image formingapparatus case to which the display apparatus has been attached.
 8. Thedisplay-integrated image forming apparatus according to claim 7,comprising a rotation angle position fixing portion that is capable ofsupportably fixing the rotation angle of the display apparatus at adesired angle position.
 9. The display-integrated image formingapparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display apparatus is alsoused as an opening/closing door that opens/closes one side face of theimage forming apparatus case.
 10. The display-integrated image formingapparatus according to claim 1, wherein the display apparatus isdisposed on a side face other than a side face in which a maintenancedoor of the image forming apparatus is provided or a side face fromwhich a paper cassette is pulled out.
 11. The display-integrated imageforming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the display apparatus isprovided so as to be movable vertically relative to the image formingapparatus case.
 12. The display-integrated image forming apparatusaccording to claim 3, wherein the display apparatus is provided so as tobe movable vertically relative to the image forming apparatus case. 13.The display-integrated image forming apparatus according to claim 4,wherein the display apparatus is provided so as to be movable verticallyrelative to the image forming apparatus case.
 14. The display-integratedimage forming apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the displayapparatus is provided so as to be rotatable along one side face of theimage forming apparatus case to which the display apparatus has beenattached.
 15. The display-integrated image forming apparatus accordingto claim 3, wherein the display apparatus is provided so as to berotatable along one side face of the image forming apparatus case towhich the display apparatus has been attached.
 16. Thedisplay-integrated image forming apparatus according to claim 4, whereinthe display apparatus is provided so as to be rotatable along one sideface of the image forming apparatus case to which the display apparatushas been attached.
 17. The display-integrated image forming apparatusaccording to claim 2, wherein the display apparatus is also used as anopening/closing door that opens/closes one side face of the imageforming apparatus case.
 18. The display-integrated image formingapparatus according to claim 3, wherein the display apparatus is alsoused as an opening/closing door that opens/closes one side face of theimage forming apparatus case.
 19. The display-integrated image formingapparatus according to claim 4, wherein the display apparatus is alsoused as an opening/closing door that opens/closes one side face of theimage forming apparatus case.
 20. The display-integrated image formingapparatus according to claim 2, wherein the display apparatus isdisposed on a side face other than a side face in which a maintenancedoor of the image forming apparatus is provided or a side face fromwhich a paper cassette is pulled out.